Chris Elsberry: Valentine will bring energy but avoid daily grind

Updated 6:02 pm, Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Senior Vice President of Athletics and Student Affairs James Barquinero, left, introduces Bobby Valentine as the new executive director of intercollegiate athletics at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield on Tuesday, February 26, 2013.

Yes, that Bobby Valentine, the Stamford great from Rippowam High School. The former major leaguer. The former manager of the Mets, Texas Rangers, Chiba Lotte Marines and Boston Red Sox. The former ESPN baseball analyst, former ballroom dancer, current restaurant owner and now ¦ drum roll please, the new executive director of Intercollegiate Athletics at Sacred Heart University, replacing C. Donald Cook, who is retiring, effective July 1.

"Needless to say, this is a significant, wonderful moment for Sacred Heart University and its athletic programs," said Jim Barquinero, SHU's senior vice president of athletics and student affairs. "We have accomplished an incredible amount as a young, Division I institution. And with Bobby's presence, we're now primed to take that to another level both regionally and nationally. Bobby's a leader, Bobby brings great energy and Bobby brings to the campus a proven entrepreneurial track record, three critical attributes which I know will resonate all across campus and the region."

Valentine will bring great energy to the job -- just not in the way that many expected. His strengths and passions are legendary, so when it comes to giving Sacred Heart more of a national presence. Valentine will be perfect. When it comes to giving his time and raising money, Valentine will be even better.

Which begs the question, why hire Valentine as athletic director at all? Why not give him the title of "special assistant to the president" or something? Toss a couple of honorary doctorates into his lap and let him glad-hand his way across the fund-raising room, shaking hands with his right and pocketing all the donations with his left. Because the one thing that Valentine does better than anyone is work a room.

Let him do that and let someone else do the heavy lifting.

Which is, in fact, exactly what the Pioneers are going to do. A national search will soon start for a deputy athletic director to do all the dirty work, as it were, the scheduling, the daily interaction with the coaches and the student-athletes, all that. Meanwhile, Valentine will be handling "other duties" according to Barquinero, unless he's doing his baseball radio show for ESPN or whatever other interest he's got simmering on the front burner.

"I'm here just to facilitate." Valentine said, during his introduction. "Don has done a wonderful job of moving this program along, getting students in an environment where they can succeed and I'm hoping that I can fill those needs and fill those voids that will be gone after Don leaves. I'm learning what it is that needs to be done here and I'm going to learn as quickly as I can and for as long as I can how to maneuver and accomplished the things that need to be accomplished."

Under Cook's watch, the Pioneers jumped from Division II to Division I, joined the Northeast Conference. They have been competitive in just about every sport from top to bottom. With Valentine on board, Barquinero is now looking to grow the SHU athletic brand.

"I don't know about taking it to any next level," Valentine said of the athletic program's successes. "I can just tell you that a lot of things are taught in this environment but the one thing you can't teach is experience. I have a boatload of life's experiences. I've lived in five different countries, spoken different languages. I've been fired, I've been up. I've been broke, I've been rich. I have things that every person in life wants to experience and I can't experience any of those things here but I think I can share my experiences and make the situation better."

While that remains to be seen, Valentine's hiring did have the region buzzing. More than 40 media members and a half-dozen TV reporters, including all four of the Connecticut stations, were on hand to discuss Valentine's new job.

"We're known as the Pioneers and once again, we're pioneers. We're doing something unconventional and exciting in appointing Bobby as our AD," SHU president John Petillo said.